Editorial

Business as usual in the House

Published

4 years ago

2022/05/8

Thursday’s farcical re-election of Ranjith Siyambalapitiya as the Deputy Speaker of the incumbent Parliament is a clear demonstration, if any is needed, that it’s business as usual in the Sri Lanka Parliament. This despite the revolutionary fervor of the people outside that first the Rajapaksas, aiya and malli, and thereafter the other clansmen must go. ITAK MP, Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, put it neatly. He said that the 65 Members who voted for Mr. Imthiaz Bakeer Markar represented the people. The 148 who voted for the eventual winner represented the Rajapaksas.

The way that papadam crumbled defies rational explanation. First, Siyambalapitiya, elected on the SLFP ticket resigned some weeks ago saying that having being elected from the blue party (which incidentally had an arrangement with the Rajapaksa pohottuwa) was resigning as his party had decided to leave the ruling group. He said that the president, no less, had refused to accept his resignation and he, in deference to this request, would stay on till May 1 when he would quit. He even said that he will not draw any of the pay and perks of his office until his eventual departure. And so it (presumably) was.

Then came his eventual departure. The ex and back-again deputy speaker then left office and the House last week solemnly set about electing his successor. But voila, who was that successor? None other than Siyambalapitiya himself, proposed by longtime minister and dyed-in-the-wool SLFPer, Nimal Siripala de Silva seconded by equally senior Susil Premajayantha aka Premajayanth. The latter, readers would remember, not long ago got shunted to the ‘B’ team after a long innings in the ‘A’ team and was sulking somewhat until he suddenly found himself sacked altogether, a fate later suffered by Weerawansa and Gammanpila, and took a three-wheeler home to don his black coat and return to practicing law.

If this was not a deal between the Rajapaksas and the SLFP, one cannot know what a deal is. So we are back to business as usual with various opportune arrangements made to suit needs of the moment. These are often accompanied by consideration, both visible and invisible as the Galle Face agitators are loudly proclaiming; and the rest of the country has long known but done nothing about until the advent of the aragalaya. How independent are the claimed “independents” who recently crossed from one side of the House to the other? Not much, the results of the deputy speaker’s election (more correctly re-election) shows.

Wimal Weerawansa, one of the more garrulous of that group was absent at the voting. He has not up to the time of writing offered an explanation of why this was so. TNA leader R. Sampanthan, is a very old man and may not have been well enough to attend. Justice Wigneswaran too has been mum on the subject and would hopefully offer and explanation sooner or later; like in the old days on the bench when judgments were reserved or delivered with a terse “reasons later.” Why three MPs spoilt their votes – how this was done was not made public – is also inexplicable. While there’s been a lot of noise in the public domain over the years that many of our MPs are uneducated or not educated enough to perform legislative and other parliamentary duties, nobody has been accused of being illiterate. All that a valid vote required was the name of the candidate of choice and the signature of the voter.

Why Siyambalapitiya’s resignation went to the president is a mystery that remains uncleared. Commonsense would dictate that it should go to the speaker. Standing Orders, we are told, has no provision as to whom a presiding member of the House, whether speaker, deputy speaker or deputy chairman of committees should tender a resignation. So Siyambalapitiya had chosen to go to the president and the speaker, apparently, had waited to hear what the outcome was before the election of a successor was taken up. Although a solemn ritual of placing a screen and a ballot box in the well of the house was conducted, and names of members were called out to vote, opposition whip Lakshman Kiriella was heard asking “where’s the secrecy when MPs must sign the ballot paper?” But that is the way Standing Orders prescribe for taking a secret ballots.

There was no response to the demand that ballot papers be immediately destroyed. Presumably they would be kept in the safe custody of the Secretary General of Parliament. But strange are the ways of our Parliament. There isn’t a trace of the impeachment motion against former President Ranasinghe Premadasa which a former speaker “entertained” and then stopped entertaining. Where it went, who signed it and who didn’t and whether it still exists will presumably remain for ever in the realm of the unknown. It also needs clarification whether an MP voting in secret has the freedom to write he/she was abstaining on the ballot paper. And if that was done were the votes deemed “spoilt?” Perhaps we’ll know in the fullness of time and will also learn the strategy underlying Thursday’s events.

That apart, this issue of our newspaper today offers readers a range of analytical commentary on the ongoing drama both at Galle Face and elsewhere. There is also a perception among television viewers that events around us are taking a new flavour to what prevailed before with the Frontline Socialist Party-aligned Inter University Students Federation adopting a more boisterous attitude than previously on view in their demonstrations. It has been previously reported that the FSP is the only political presence at Galle Face. Whether this can cause an ‘infection,’ and how all this will unravel, only time can tell.

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Editorial

Astrologers’ ire

Published

14 hours ago

2026/03/14

Thilina Walpola

Saturday 14th March, 2026

Some prominent astrologers are up in arms, claiming that the JVP-NPP government has not officially recognised the list of traditional New Year auspicious times or the nekath seettuwa they have submitted. They have been holding press conferences and raking the government leaders over the coals (pun intended) for what they describe as a sinister move to devalue the cultural significance of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. All previous governments officially endorsed the nekath seettu, according to which New Year activities are usually conducted.

The Department of Cultural Affairs has responded, saying that two groups of astrologers have submitted two different nekath seettu, and it will make a final decision after allowing public and expert views to be expressed thereon. It has also said that it, together with the Ministry of Buddhist and Religious Affairs, will continue to take necessary steps to safeguard and promote the country’s cultural values, including longstanding New Year traditions.

Sri Lankan governments want the public to do as they say, and they do as astrologers say. In the final analysis, the whole country does as astrologers say. There was a time when even military operations in the North and the East were conducted according to auspicious times. Many of them ended in disaster, and ones that were not launched according to auspicious times yielded the desired results in 2009. Interestingly, the President who provided political leadership for the country’s successful war on terror, suffered an ignominious defeat by advancing a presidential election on astrological advice. No astrologer could predict that another President would have to flee the country and resign.

Some critics of the incumbent government have claimed that it is not keen to recognise the New Year auspicious times officially as it is led by a bunch of Marxists who place no value on cultural practices. They have pointed out that Marxists generally treat astrology as superstition or a cultural phenomenon rather than a legitimate system within Marxist theory. However, Karl Marx has not made any specific reference to astrology though some Marxist scholars have taken a critical view thereof. In the 1950s, German philosopher, Theodor W. Adorno, a major Marxist influenced social theorist, wrote about astrology and horoscope columns in newspapers and magazines as part of his critique of mass culture under capitalism. He viewed astrology as a symptom of irrationalism and conformity in capitalist societies, where people are distracted from systemic social problems and instead turn to vague supernatural explanations. This view has gained currency among not only Marxists but many non-Marxist scholars and thinkers. One may recall that Voltaire also famously said, “Superstition is to religion what astrology to astronomy—the mad daughter of a wise mother. These daughters have too long dominated the earth.” This is particularly true of Sri Lanka and some other countries in this region.

If auspicious times are based on mathematically determined planetary positions, how come there are two lists of nekath. How is the government going to decide which list is correct? One can only hope that the government will not favour the group of astrologers backed by NPP politicians. There is hardly anything that Sri Lankan politicians do not politicise. Unless the government handles the nekath issue carefully and resolves it to the satisfaction of both sides, there may be what can be described as an astrologers’ war, and the people who rely on the official nekath seettuwa to conduct the New Year rituals will be confused and the political opponents of the JVP/NPP will surely weaponise the issue.

Editorial

Heed ominous signs – II

Published

2 days ago

2026/03/13

Thilina Walpola

Friday 13th March, 2026

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not been able to stabilise the global oil market with their rhetoric and assurances. Their airstrikes on Iran’s naval ships, and mine-laying vessels, etc., have not helped make the Strait of Hormuz safe for international navigation. Iran has attacked six ships so far in that vital choke point. Oil prices began to climb again yesterday despite the release of 400 million barrels of oil, as part of a coordinated International Energy Agency action involving several countries. The US announced that it alone would release as many as 172 million barrels of oil to stabilise the market.

Having carried out successful attacks on vessels passing through the Hormuz Strait and sent the global oil market into panic mode, Iran now says it will stop attacks only on several conditions—end of US-Israeli military attacks, a binding guarantee that there will be no future strikes, recognition of Iran’s sovereign rights, and compensation for war damage. The US and Israel have ignored these conditions.

Prudence demands that Sri Lanka brace itself for an energy crisis. But the JVP-NPP government is all at sea, and its response to the crisis appears to be all over the place. It is apparently labouring under the misconception that it will be able to reduce fuel consumption and manage the crisis simply by jacking up prices. There’s no shame in rationing fuel during a global crisis, as we argued in a previous editorial comment. The previous government introduced a QR based fuel rationing system, which helped it not only overcome a crippling fuel crisis but also retain its hold on power. In fact, some economic advisors reportedly pushed for fuel rationing to prevent a crisis in early 2022, but the Rajapaksas ignored their counsel only to head for the hills with angry protesters in close pursuit a couple of months later.

Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe has claimed that recent panic buying and hoarding of fuel led to a depletion of the country’s petroleum reserves. His claim should be taken with a pinch of salt, for he is trying to justify the huge fuel price increases, but the government could have controlled that situation by resorting to QR-based fuel sales. The same method can be used to prevent many people from using extra gas cylinders to stock up on LPG at the expense of others. Some Litro agents themselves are known to hoard gas and sell it at a black market premium.

Thailand has said its energy reserves are sufficient for about 95 days, but it has already adopted emergency measures to curtail energy consumption. Many other countries have done the same. Pakistan has set an example worthy of emulation. The emergency fuel crisis management measures adopted by Pakistan include a four-day work week for state institutions, work from home for about half of employees in public and private sectors, except essential services, temporary closure of schools and universities, the introduction of online learning, 50% cut in fuel allocations for state vehicles besides the removal of around 60 percent of official vehicles off the road, restrictions on official travel and encouragement of virtual meetings in government institutions. Sri Lanka should learn from Pakistan’s fuel-saving approach.

In this country, no opening ceremony is considered complete without the presence of either the President or the Prime Minister or a Cabinet Minister. We have had Presidents, Prime Ministers and ministers travelling all over the country, attending various ceremonies and meetings all these years; the incumbent rulers are no exception. The President, the Prime Minister and ministers can inaugurate projects and attend meetings remotely, and help save a lot of fuel and millions of rupees spent on security arrangements, etc. Why should the President travel all the way from Colombo to faraway places to attend District Coordination Committee meetings when he can address them online? Government politicians and officials ought to stop running around like headless chickens and help save fuel and state funds.

It is high time the government stopped dilly-dallying and introduced QR-based fuel rationing.

Editorial

ME War and the loser

Published

3 days ago

2026/03/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

Thursday 12th March, 2026

It is not possible to predict who will emerge victorious in the ongoing war in the Middle East or whether the conflict will end without a clear winner though US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have the world believe that they will surely be the winners. The US-Israel military power is doubtlessly far superior to that of Iran, but in a war of this nature, military might alone does not guarantee a clear victory.

Difficult as it may be to predict who will win in the current Gulf conflict, the overall loser is already known; it is the world economy. Global markets are heavily reliant on President Trump’s assurance that the war will not last long, and the release of the G7 strategic oil reserves to stabilise the world oil supply. But Trump’s most intense airstrikes on Tuesday have not yielded the desired results. Iran remains defiant and has raised the stakes for the global economy by threatening to bring oil exports from the region through the Strait of Hormuz to a complete halt unless the US and Israel stop attacks. It continues to fire missiles and carry out drone attacks on US interests in the region. Trump has announced that the US will seriously consider providing security to the ships sailing through the Hormuz Strait, but whether the US is equal to the task is the question. It is being argued in some quarters that Trump and Netanyahu have already bitten off more than they can chew.

There is reason to believe that Trump went to war with Iran without a proper assessment of the ground situation. His plan was to make short work of the current Iranian regime with shock-and-awe aerial bombardments and the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but his plan has apparently gone awry. The slain Iranian leader’s son has been elected the Supreme Leader. Trump may have expected the Iranian anti-government protesters to make the most of the ongoing bombing spree, come out in their millions and bring down their embattled regime, but they are silent today. Perhaps, they are too scared to challenge the beleaguered regime, which has warned that ‘every soldier has his finger on the trigger’ and protesters will be treated as traitors. It is also possible that the protesters are now disillusioned with the US after realising that Washington has sought to use them as a cat’s paw in its efforts to grab Iran’s oil resources.

Has the US made, in Iran, a military miscalculation similar to the one in Afghanistan? The US Intelligence community and the military estimated that Kabul was resilient enough to hold out for several months after the withdrawal of the US troops in 2021. But that city fell to the Taliban in days, causing the then US President Joe Biden to admit that the collapse had happened “more quickly than the US had anticipated”.

Iran may not have anticipated a joint US-Israel military operation of this magnitude. It remains to be seen whether Iran can sustain its missile and drone attacks vis-à-vis the US-Israeli air strikes on its arms stockpiles and military installations. However, what one gathers from the views of military analysts is that it is very unlikely that President Trump will go so far as to deploy ground troops in Iran, with about 59% of Americans opposing his war, according to opinion surveys. In its war for oil in Iraq, the US had the backing of a much broader international coalition.

Nothing could be more humiliating to the US than Washington’s call for help from Ukraine to deal with the Iranian drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom President Trump once showed the door during a White House meeting, has confirmed that the US sought his help to defend its allies in the Persian Gulf against the Iranian drones. Did Trump start a war without a proper assessment of the enemy’s drone capability?

The enormous economic cost of the Middle East conflict will have to be borne by not only the parties thereto but also by the entire world. Trump’s assurances and the G7 responses have prevented panic in global markets, but unless the US and Israel end the war soon and take steps to keep the Strait of Hormuz functional, oil prices will soar again, pushing the world closer to a global recession. If Trump and Netanyahu stop their war midway, they will face a domestic political backlash. Trump and Netanyahu have the Epstein files and corruption charges to contend with, respectively. The Trump administration is facing midterm elections in November. Politically speaking, Trump and Netanyahu are on a tiger ride in the Middle East.

The biggest challenge before the US and Israel in the ongoing conflict is to prevent Iran from shifting the war to the economic front, and make the global economy scream.